Administration at the Sarnia Police Service is working to keep any increase in the 2019 budget at less than three per cent.
Deputy Chief Owen Lockhart said that's the goal outlined in a preliminary budget overview presented to the police services board Thursday morning.
"That's where we're sitting at right now," said Lockhart. "It's a floating budget as usual with overtime, and that aspect of it, but it's going to be around [three per cent]. It's going to be around last year's budget, and we may see a slight reduction."
A three per cent increase is about $740,000.
Lockhart said factors driving the increase include salaries, benefits, and overtime.
"One of our main increases from last year was overtime in communications, and that is due to manpower shortage," said Lockhart. "We've tried to address that over the last year by hiring more part-time and reduce the actual overtime in the unit there, so that's one aspect in which we should see a decrease next year."
Full budget details will be considered by the board at a meeting set for October 11.
A surplus of nearly $100,000 in the $23 million 2018 police budget is expected by year's end.